Mapping the environmental risk of a tourist harbor in order to foster environmental security: Objective vs. subjective assessments

A new definition of environmental security gives equal importance to the objective and subjective assessments of environmental risk. In this framework, the management of tourist harbors has to take into account managers’ perceptions. The subject of the present study is a tourist harbor in southern Italy where six different managers are present. This paper aims to assess subjectively and objectively the environmental risks associated with the harbor, and to compare the results to provide estimates of environmental security. Hereby managers have been interviewed and a simple model is used for making preliminary assessment of environmental risks. The comparison of the results highlighted a common mismatch between risk perception and risk assessment. We demonstrated that the old part of the harbor is less secure than the new part. In addition, one specific manager representing a public authority showed a leading role in ensuring the environmental security of the whole harbor.     

环境磁学研究的简介

本文概述了环境磁学研究方法的基本问题，原理和应用，提出了环境磁学存在的问题和发展的方向。     

Development of a system of indicators for sustainable port management

The 1998 project ECOPORT, “Towards A Sustainable Transport Network”, developed by the Valencia Port Authority (VPA), established the bases for implementing an Environmental Management System (EMS) in industrial harbours. The use of data and information shall always be required to develop an efficient EMS. The objective of the present research (INDAPORT) study is to propose a system of sustainable environmental management indicators to be used by any port authorities. All activities performed within a port area are analysed for any potential environmental impacts and risks.

An environmental analysis of port activities has been carried out with the objective of designing the indicators system. Twenty-one corresponding activities have been identified for large industrial ports. Subsequently, the same methodology developed to date will be later applied to other Spanish and European ports. The study has been developed by using an original system and a methodology, which simultaneously use stage diagrams and systemic models (material and energy flow charts). Multi-criteria analysis techniques were used to evaluate potential impacts (identification of factors and evaluation of impacts).     

关于环境地球物理学的思考

分析了环境科学的研究领域，世界及我国的环境状况，世界范围的环境问题对地球科学提出了的和带来的机会。以此为基础提出了环境地球物理学的对象及研究方向。提出水资源的污染监测及水源保护应例为环境地球物理学的优先领域。     

A probabilistic approach to exposure risk assessment

The introduction of hazardous substances into the environment has long been recognized as being a cause of several diseases in humans, wildlife, and plants. The damaging character of suspected contaminants is usually assessed via a “reject/retain” design with no explicit link between levels of exposure and intensities of the potential adverse health effects even though this connection may be important for the development of public health regulations that limit exposure to hazardous substances. Here, we propose a probabilistic approach to exposure risk assessment as a way around this typical flaw. We develop a Bayesian model using proximity to the source of an alleged contaminant as a surrogate for exposure. Subsequently, we carry out an experimental study based on simulated data to illustrate the model implementation with real world data. We also discuss a possible way of extending the model to accommodate potential heterogeneity in the spatial distribution of the focal disease.     

Interactions between climate change and contaminants

There is now general consensus that climate change is a global threat and a challenge for the 21st century. More and more information is available demonstrating how increased temperature may affect aquatic ecosystems and living resources or how increased water levels may impact coastal zones and their management. Many ecosystems are also affected by human releases of contaminants, for example from land based sources or the atmosphere, which also may cause severe effects. So far these two important stresses on ecosystems have mainly been discussed independently. The present paper is intended to increase awareness among scientists, coastal zone managers and decision makers that climate change will affect contaminant exposure and toxic effects and that both forms of stress will impact aquatic ecosystems and biota. Based on examples from different ecosystems, we discuss risks anticipated from contaminants in a rapidly changing environment and the research required to understand and predict how on-going and future climate change may alter risks from chemical pollution.     

地球磁场相对强度研究现状与展望

对利用沉积物确定地球磁场相对强度的实验方法进行了综述评述，在些基础上本文总结了目前常用的恢复沉复沉积物记录古强度的方法，重点介绍了全新世、晚更新世和布容时地球磁场相对强度变化特征，评价了环境因素对沉积物记录地球磁场相对强度的影响。对未来有关地球磁场相对强度研究发展趋势提出了借鉴。     

Managing tourist harbors: Are managers aware of the real environmental risks?

The management of tourist harbors has traditionally been analyzed with little attention to managers’ awareness of the effects of their decisions on the environment. The aims of this paper were to assess managers’ perceptions of the main environmental risks in their regions and to identify common behaviors among the managers involved in eight tourist harbors in southern Italy, where the same tourist harbor is often managed by different managers. A questionnaire was administered and statistical analyses were performed to test differences between managers of big and small harbors. Managers showed a low perception of environmental risks and, surprisingly, in certain harbors, some meaningful cases were highlighted: the most homogeneous case, where all managers showed a reasonable level of environmental awareness, and cases with strong mismatches among managers. In this paper, we propose that an assessment of managers’ perceptions of risk be included as a new form of analysis when environmental risk assessments are carried out.     

Marine spatial planning and oil spill risk analysis: Finding common grounds

A flow of key information links marine spatial planning (MSP) and oil spill risk analysis (OSRA), two distinct processes needed to achieve true sustainable management of coastal and marine areas. OSRA informs MSP on areas of high risk to oil spills allowing a redefinition of planning objectives and the relocation of activities to increase the ecosystem’s overall utility and resilience. Concomitantly, MSP continuously generates a large amount of data that is vital to OSRA. The Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) mapping system emerges as an operational tool to implement the MSP–OSRA link. Given the high level of commonalities between ESI and MSP data (both in biophysical and human dimensions), ESI tools (both paper maps and dynamic GIS-based product) are easily developed to further inform MSP and oil spill risk management. Finally, several other benefits from implementing the MSP–OSRA link are highlighted.     

Field validation, in Scotland and Iceland, of the artificial mussel for monitoring trace metals in temperate seas

The artificial mussel (AM), a novel chemical sampling device, has been developed for monitoring dissolved trace metals in marine environments. The AM consists of Chelex-100 suspended in artificial seawater within Perspex tubing and enclosed with semi-permeable polyacrylamide gel at both ends. To validate the field performance of the AM in temperate waters, we deployed AMs alongside transplanted blue mussels Mytilus edulis in coastal environments in Scotland (Holy Loch, Loch Fyne, Loch Striven and Millport) and Iceland (Reykjavikurh?fn, Gufunes, South of thornerney, Hofsvik, Hvalfj?rethur and Sandgerethi) for monitoring trace metals. While uptake patterns of Cd between the AM and M. edulis were highly comparable, discrepancies were found in the accumulation profiles of the other metals (Cu, Cr, Pb and Zn), in particular Zn. Nonetheless, the AMs gave a better resolution to accurately reveal the spatial difference in dissolved metal contamination when compared with M. edulis. AMs complement the use of mussels since AMs indicate dissolved metals in seawater, whereas uptake by mussels indicates a mixture of dissolved and particulate metals. Our results also indicated that historical metal exposure of the transplanted M. edulis could significantly confound their metal concentrations especially when the deployment period was short (i.e. <34d). This study suggested that the AM can overcome problems associated with variable biological attributes and pre-exposure history in the mussel, and provides a standardized and representative time-integrated estimate of dissolved metal concentrations in different marine environments.     

西安市道路灰尘磁学特征及其对环境的响应

西安市道路表面灰尘样品的环境磁学研究显示磁化率(χ)、非磁滞磁化率（χ_ARM）以及饱和等温剩磁（SIRM）均比较高,表明样品中磁性矿物含量较高.其中磁化率（χ）主要受人类活动强度影响,而非磁滞磁化率（χ_ARM）及饱和等温剩磁（SIRM）则由人为活动强度和磁性矿物种类共同决定.κ-T曲线以及等温剩磁（IRM）获得曲线显示样品中磁铁矿和磁赤铁矿等亚铁磁性矿物占主导,并可能含有少量的单质铁,其相对含量与人类活动种类有关：与单纯的交通排放及冶金活动相比,密集的人群流动可带来更多的单质铁矿物.磁畴图谱显示磁性矿物粒径变化不大,以准单畴及多畴颗粒等粗颗粒为主,明显大于成土作用形成的磁性颗粒.综合磁性矿物含量种类以及粒径可辨别污染及污染来源,提供污染监测的磁学手段,并初步进行污染来源划分.     

New concepts in ecological risk assessment: where do we go from here?

Through the use of safety factors, the use of single-species test data has been adequate for use in protective hazard assessments and criteria setting but, because hazard quotients do not consider the presence of multiple species each with a particular sensitivity or the interactions that can occur between these species in a functioning community, they are ill-suited to environmental risk assessment. Significant functional redundancy occurs in most ecosystems but this is poorly considered in single-species tests conducted under laboratory conditions. A significant advance in effects assessment was the use of the microcosm as a unit within which to test interacting populations of organisms. The microcosm has allowed the measurement of the environmental effect measures such as the NOAEC(community) under laboratory or field conditions and the application of this and other similarly derived measures to ecological risk assessment (ERA). More recently, distributions of single-species laboratory test data have been used for criteria setting and, combined with distributions of exposure concentrations, for risk assessment. Distributions of species sensitivity values have been used in an a priori way for setting environmental quality criteria such as the final acute value (FAV) derived for water quality criteria. Similar distributional approaches have been combined with modeled or measured concentrations to produce estimates of the joint probability of a single species being affected or that a proportion of organisms in a community will be impacted in a posteriori risk assessments. These techniques have not been widely applied for risk assessment of dredged materials, however, with appropriate consideration of bioavailability and spatial and nature of the data these techniques can be applied to soils and sediments.     

甘肃省地下流体观测资料用于环境保护的初步研究

利用甘肃省地下流体地震观测台网多年积累的观测数据，对各测点的水质与国家水质标准进行对比分析并对某些项目做了一定的动态分析．结果表明，２０多年来区内各泉点水质变化较稳定，除少数泉点外，多数泉点的部分水质超出国家饮用水标准，这是水体本身水质成份引起的，并非是环境污染所致．     

福州盆地全新世沉积物的磁学性质及其对环境变化的响应

福州盆地位于海陆过渡地带,在海陆变迁过程中,沉积物记录了高分辨率的环境信息,是揭示沉积特征对环境变化响应过程及模式的理想区域.本文选择位于福州盆地的FZ5钻孔进行岩石磁学、环境磁学和古地磁学方面的研究,以期阐明该区域沉积物磁学性质对陆源碎屑输入、海平面变化和成岩作用的响应.岩石磁学结果表明钻孔沉积物以低矫顽力的亚铁磁性矿物为主体,但是在不同的环境变化阶段,磁性矿物的类型有较大变化.在9~3 cal. ka BP的海侵过程中,沉积物中以磁铁矿为主体,存在菱铁矿和铁硫化物等还原性矿物.硫化作用使细粒磁铁矿溶解形成胶黄铁矿和黄铁矿,其峰面随碎屑磁性矿物的浓度变化而迁移.但硫化作用没有完全消除磁铁矿携带的特征剩磁和陆源碎屑输入量以及海平面升降对该阶段沉积物磁性的控制.在~3 cal. ka BP以来随着海平面下降、沉积环境向陆相氧化环境转化,虽然早期还原作用仍然存在,但后期氧化作用使磁性矿物向高矫顽力的赤铁矿等矿物转变,氧化作用基本扰乱了磁铁矿携带的剩磁.沉积及其后期成岩作用过程中,发生在约~8.2、~7.7、~7.5、~2.7、~1.5、~0.5 cal. ka BP六次强烈的古氧化界面反映了福州盆地当时异常干旱或湿热的气候事件.     

磁化率及其环境意义

作为地质与环境演化过程的替代指标,磁化率被广泛地用来研究各种与古气候和环境演化相关的问题.然而,磁化率的复杂性和多解性常常被忽略.本文从磁化率的物理基础出发,系统地论述了磁化率的测量、影响磁化率的主要因素（包括磁性矿物的类型、粒径、温度、频率和外加场等）,简要介绍了磁化率在海陆古环境研究中的应用.     

湖泊沉积物的矿物磁性测量及其环境应用

本文结合太湖沉积物的磁性研究，简要地阐述了湖泊沉积物磁性测量的方法与磁信息的环境应用，通过分析太湖沉积样芯的磁参数曲线所内含的环境信息，揭示了磁测方法在古湖沼学研究中的应用前景。     

An empirical analysis of IOPCF oil spill cost data

This paper reports on recent analysis of oil spill cost data assembled by the International Oil Pollution Compensation Fund (IOPCF). Regression analyses of clean-up costs and total costs have been carried out, after taking care to convert to current prices and remove outliers. In the first place, the results of this analysis have been useful in the context of the ongoing discussion within the International Maritime Organization (IMO) on environmental risk evaluation criteria. Furthermore, these results can be useful in estimating the benefit of regulations that deal with the protection of marine environment and oil pollution prevention.     

环境地球物理学的现状与发展

本文简要总结了1989年以来我国环境地球物理的发展,简述环境地球物理的研究领域,着重归纳了无机和有机污染物渗入地下土壤和地下水后存在的基本特征,形成可探测物理场的状况及其适用的探测方法.针对我国土壤和地下水的污染状况提出了发展要点.